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Case Studies Building Our Future: Scotland's School Estate
CONSULTING YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR COMMUNITY
The new Balfron High School was opened, as part of the Balfron Campus, in August 2001. The campus consists of a pre-existing nursery school and primary school, Balfron High and community facilities based within the High School. There are just under 1000 pupils at Balfron High and the building itself cost 15.5 million and took 16 months to build.
Two key groups were involved in the design of Balfron High: the community and the pupils.
2000 questionnaires were distributed to the local community asking the local population what services they wanted to be located within the campus. A good response (800) was received which went on to inform the design process.
Young people using the previous secondary school and potential future pupils were consulted on what they wanted from the new school building in a variety of ways:
- an S5/S6 conference to design the ideal school
- a primary school competition open to all local primary schools to design their perfect secondary school
- assemblies to keep children and young people informed of progress
- pupil councils.
Outcome
Involving the community in the design process has ensured that community facilities are located where the local population prefers them. Initial consideration of moving libraries and post offices to the campus were rejected following consultation with the community who expressed concern that this would kill the village by removing key services from the High Street. However, other aspects, such as spaces for out of school and community activities, were warmly welcomed and the school is now open 14 hours a day and throughout the school holidays providing this valuable service. 
The outcomes of involving children and young people are:
- pupil friendly places - the young people described a desire for social spaces, lockers, good toilets and more storage for their musical instruments, all of which have been incorporated into the school. One idea in particular was incorporated into the internal landscaping. An S5 pupil suggested making a 'tree of learning' where pupils place a leaf with their name on it when they leave the school. A member of the staff describes this as 'symbolising the growth and progress of the school'. A young person in S6 described this as 'old pupils still having a place in the school'
- pupil ownership - the involvement of pupils in the school design increased their ownership of the school by allowing them to feel involved in their built environment. A member of school staff described his desire to create a school that young people felt was built for them. Pupils involved in the primary school consultation exercise described it as a positive experience which made them look forward to moving up to the Secondary School.
Lessons
- the community may hold information not available to the local authority, such as the accessibility of the new site, or may have specific views such as the impact of a one-stop shop on the local High street
- future pupils can be involved in consultation, creating a sense of ownership before they enter the school
- consultation can be seen as more than creating a child-friendly school; the involvement of children and young people improves their sense of belonging to the school.
Contact
Sandy Kelso
Depute Head Teacher
Balfron High School
Roman Road
BALFRON
G63 0PW
Telephone: 01360 440469
Email: Kelsos01S@stirling.gov.uk
CREATING A JOINT CAMPUS
A joint campus of St Andrew's Primary School and Cumbernauld Primary School in North Lanarkshire opened in January 2003. The schools are located within one building with a central core of shared rooms: reception area, general practice rooms, gym hall, quiet rooms, conference room, dining facilities and staff room. Separate classroom areas branch off to either side of the building.
The initial decision to amalgamate the schools was made following a local authority-wide consultation with parents and the community. A consultation document was issued widely, asking for views, followed by large public meetings in community centres and local high schools. All parents were invited to these meetings. There was broad agreement for a joint campus. At the same time, local religious leaders were invited to comment on the proposals, which again were well received.
While Cumbernauld Primary was to relocate to the new site, St Andrew's Primary was an entirely new school. Parents of both Cumbernauld Primary and potential users of St Andrew's Primary were consulted and involved in the school design process. A group of parents using other local denominational schools, who may have expected to relocate to St Andrew's, formed a parent group. Parents from other School Boards formed an interim Parent Liaison Group.
Parents were kept informed of progress through newsletters and, when the design plans had been drafted, all parents were sent CD presentations and asked to comment. The School Board collated parents' views, putting questions and concerns to the local authority representative at the school's AGM.
Outcome
Despite concerns raised by some parents regarding a shared campus, the schools do not report this as a problem:
"We have had problems with the usual - school run, traffic congestion and school lunches: that has been the problem. Things about playground difficulties, educational difficulties, parental difficulties have not arisen - they have been a fantastic success story."
The two schools share the communal space well, based on a timetable drawn up by the Head Teachers.
"There is a lot of interaction, a lot of shared activities, a lot of shared resources."
The Head Teacher of St Andrew's describes parents' views of the school as positive, with parents voting with their feet and the school roll doubling since opening.
Lessons
- innovative solutions to declining populations, such as a joint campus, can create a high quality, school estate
- where schools are created entirely from scratch, it is possible to include parents from other local schools as potential users, ensuring their perspective is represented during the consultation phase.
Contact
Elizabeth Greenwood
Head Teacher
Cumbernauld Primary School
Eastfield Road
CUMBERNAULD
G68 0EB
Telephone: 01236 723542
Email: egreenwood@cumbernauld-pri.n-lanark.sch.uk
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